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Accidental awareness is one of the most feared complications of general anaesthesia for both patients and anaesthetists. Patients report this failure of general anaesthesia in approximately 1 in every 19,000 cases, according to a report published in Anaesthesia.

When Carolyn Rondou needed knee replacement surgery in 2012, she decided to have the procedure done at Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, even though there were several hospitals closer to her home in Fullerton. Rondou, a 66-year-old oncology nurse, says Hoag's reputation for quality factored heavily into her decision to have her procedure done there. But something else sweetened the pot: Her surgery came with a warranty.

The wife of an Army veteran whose life was saved by a brain surgeon who walked for miles to reach him during a snowstorm says the man has died. Andrea Robinson of Leeds, Ala., tells Al.com that her 55-year-old husband, Tony Anthony Robinson, died last Thursday of congestive heart failure.

Meridian Surgical Partners, LLC, a national operator of outpatient ambulatory surgery centers, announced today that it has settled a qui tam lawsuit brought by a former employee at one of its centers. While denying any liability, Meridian agreed to pay the U.S. government $3.32 million, a small fraction of the $100 million originally demanded by the plaintiff, Thomas Reed Simmons.

Living donors are important to increasing the number of viable grafts for liver transplantation. A new study published in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society, found that ambivalence is common among donor candidates. However, providing social support may help minimize the donors' concerns regarding donation.

The routine medical procedure that Joan Rivers underwent last month that led to her tragic death a week later went catastrophically wrong when her own personal doctor performed a surprise biopsy on her vocal cords, according to a source with knowledge of the legendary comic's death. According to the source, she had not signed off on the biopsy before undergoing surgery at Yorkville Endoscopy in Manhattan on Aug. 28.

More than 300 people a year in the UK and Ireland report they have been conscious during surgery - despite being given general anaesthesia, reported BBC.com on Wednesday. In the largest study of its kind, scientists suggests this happens in one in every 19,000 operations. They found episodes were more likely when women were given general anaesthesia for Caesarean sections or patients were given certain drugs.

Authorities are investigating programs in at least three states that collect bodies donated for scientific research, medical training and other purposes. An FBI official in Detroit confirmed that the bureau is looking at an Oregon research center, and investigators have raided facilities in Michigan and Arizona. Besides confirming the existence of an investigation, authorities have been tight-lipped about what they are examining and why.

Comedienne Joan Rivers' death on Sept. 4 following complications from a routine surgical procedure has triggered speculation about what might have occurred during the outpatient procedure that apparently led to her cardiac arrest and death.

Chelsy and Jeff King knew little about spina bifida when an ultrasound showed signs of the condition midway through pregnancy. They soon learned that the defect could be repaired before their baby was even born. The routine ultrasound at 19 weeks of pregnancy detected an opening in the baby’s spine. Chelsy went online to research spina bifida and learned about a surgical procedure that could be performed in utero.

Weight-loss surgery isn’t a magic pill, or a quick fix to lose a lot of weight. Just ask anyone who has had bariatric surgery and they will tell you it is a lot of work. And, like anything that requires a lot of work, there are times when it can be too challenging. When you feel like giving up.

It sounds like the setup for a joke: Two identical patients go to two different hospital emergency entrances, complaining of the same symptoms. But what happens next is no laughing matter, according to a new University of Michigan study published in Health Affairs. While one patient may get treated and released from the emergency department, the other gets sent upstairs to a hospital bed – at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars.

A total facial rejuvenation that combines three procedures to address the multiple signs of an aging face and neck can be performed safely at one time, a new study shows. Total facial rejuvenation, which combines an extensive facelift to tighten skin and muscle; specialized, midface implants to restore fullness; and laser resurfacing to reduce skin's irregular texture and discoloration, can be safely performed at one time.

According to New York City Facial Plastic Surgeon Sam Rizk, “At this point, about fifty percent of the procedures I perform are revision surgery. Although rhinoplasty has historically been the number one revision procedure, patients are also seeking secondary facelifts, neck lifts and blepharoplasties (eyelid surgery) in record numbers.”

He is a retired military working dog who only has a few months left to live — unless he gets a lifesaving operation that will cost thousands of dollars, reported CBS Denver on Wednesday. Kay now lives in Brighton, Colo., but spent years in the military, and his owners say euthanization just isn’t an option — so they’re turning to the public for help.

Patients who underwent weight loss operations in recent years, when most bariatric surgical centers were accredited, had fewer postoperative complications and were 2.3 times less likely to die in the hospital than patients who had bariatric procedures performed before a national movement toward facility accreditation was taking place, according to new study findings.

3M Critical & Chronic Care Solutions announced last week that it has reached a group purchasing agreement with health care alliance company Premier, Inc. for multiple catheter securement and stability products.

A Winter Park, Fla., woman filed a lawsuit Tuesday asking a judge to order Florida Hospital to surrender records documenting a lab mix-up that resulted in a false cancer diagnosis and the removal of a section of her rectum, reported the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday.

Removing both breasts to treat cancer affecting only one side doesn't boost survival chances for most women, compared with surgery that removes just the tumor, a large study suggests. The results raise concerns about riskier, potentially unnecessary operations that increasing numbers of women are choosing.

Minimally invasive surgery is associated with fewer surgical-site infections than is open surgery, according to a new observational study of tens of thousands of patients, reported Rueters Health on Tuesday. "Physicians should consider the adoption of minimally invasive approaches in order to reduce the risk of surgical site infections," said lead author Dr. Giorgio Gandaglia.

For parents, the prospect of a child's surgery can be frightening, with little information on how to pick the best hospital or understand complex procedures. To help, surgeons have developed a new classification system for pediatric surgical centers according to the level of care they provide, similar to the one that classifies trauma centers, reported the Wall Street Journal on Monday.

Administration of colchicine, a plant-based medication commonly used to treat gout, before and after cardiac surgery showed mixed results in reducing potential complications from this type of surgery, but it did increase the risk of gastrointestinal adverse effects, according to a study published by JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.

In an extensive article http://www.urologyweb.com/robotic-prostate-cancer-surgery-a-public-health-nightmare/, Urologist Dr. Bert Vorstman details “Robotic Prostate Cancer Surgery: A Public Health Nightmare”, the story behind prostate cancer and the industry that has been built around it.

Standard, contact, and droplet precautions are recommended for management of hospitalized patients with known or suspected Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF), also referred to as Ebola Viral Disease (EVD). Though these recommendations focus on the hospital setting, the recommendations for personal protective equipment (PPE) and environmental infection control measures are applicable to any healthcare setting.

According to court documents, Olga Sanchez had been admitted to the hospital after complaints of flank pain and urinating blood. During her admission, she was examined by a hematologist and her lab tests were interpreted by a clinical pathologist. Despite a laboratory diagnosis of a bleeding disorder, the doctors and the hospital never provided appropriate care to stop the internal bleeding.